THIRTEEN.

This time around, Brock went way ahead of them. He had a formidable security who were always on his beck and call.

This made Jake to let the strife lie low. He was going to strike when he least expect.

Ever since the tussle at the gang house, Jake made sure he told everyone whatever scores he left unsettled.

It was then they discovered they were in great danger. Apart from Power who was bold enough to show his face at the gang house, Donald and Chase were watching from a far, waiting for a perfect time to strike.

Overwhelmed with how fast things are happening in his life, Jake had his AirPods on as he sang along with the music.

His voice attracted Tori, who was in her room. At first, she didn't want to believe he was the one singing, so she decided to peep on him.

She couldn't help but smile watching him sing in his deep yet smooth baritone.

"Nice voice" Tori applauded, causing Jake to turn towards her direction. He wasn't aware of her presence.

"You…" He filtered off, staring at her smiling face.

"Come on, it's nothing. You got a very nice voice. Sing another song for me" she coaxed.

"I don't know what you're talking about" he muttered, hurrying away.

"Weirdo" she thought, "I'll ask Nic when she returns" With that decision made, she allowed the scene to lie low.

When Nicole returned that afternoon, they had a little chit-chat. Tori was about to ask about Jake when Nicole's phone rang, causing her to frown a bit.

"Excuse me" Nic said with a little smile. As the person at the other end talked, the smile on her face began to disappear slowly.

"Alright" she said with a pale face before hanging the call.

"What happened?" Tori asked. Nicole forced a smile, but Tori was not a kid anymore to be deceived.

It was past midnight when the doorbell dinged. Nicole was up then, she had been watching a late night movie.

Wondering who was on the other side of the door, she walked slowly towards it. The figure at the keyhole made her heart stopped beating for a while.

"Hardin" she yelled, pulling him inside the house before shutting the door. He was thoroughly drenched with blood.

"Is your brother in?" He asked, wiping the corner of his eyes.

"Yea. Come on, tell me what happened. You're making me scared" she groaned.

"Anita… They killed her" he blurted.

"Nooooo" she yelled before she slumped. Jake was quick to catch her before her head could touch the tiled floor.

He came down when he heard the doorbell ringing earlier, but none of them saw him.

Jace had Nicole in his hands when she woke up. The atmosphere in the living room was thick that a knife could penetrate effortlessly.

Everyone was in their different worlds. It was barely a month since Tyler died now Anita was gone.

Few minutes until about 4 am, Champion arrived with a sealed parcel making everyone to raise their brow.

Tori was awake and had joined them in the sitting room by then.

"What's that?" Jake asked, almost in a whisper. Anita's sudden death had destabilized him.

"I don't know. I saw this in my living room when I woke up this morning. It was addressed to you, so I didn't open it" he shrugged.

Jake heaved. The parcel was big, making him wonder what it contained.

When Champion was told about Anita's death, he let a gasp of horror before sliding through the wall to the floor.

Jake kept staring at the parcel for a pretty long time before he made a move to open it.

He took his time to remove the thick tape that was used to bind the parcel. When he was done, he took off the lid.

Tori was first to see the content because she sat directly behind it. She let out a loud scream, causing everyone hair to stand still.

Right inside the parcel was the head of Maya. The sight made Jake to dash out of the house to puke.

No one bothered to look at the content of the parcel. They will rather be told than to see for their selves.

"Tori calm down" Nicole groaned trying to stop Tori was jerking uncontrollably. The sight of blood was enough to make her pass out.

Again, the bodies of Anita and Maya were taken to the cemetery for burial. They had discovered the other part of Maya's body behind the Gang headquarters.

After the funeral and paying the last respect to the deceased, Jake returned home.

He went straight to the bar to soak himself in liquor. All he wanted was to drown himself of the sorrow that flooded his heart.

Tori returned from the mall only to see a drunk Jake lying on the floor. She dropped the bag containing the groceries on the kitchen counter before hurrying to his side.

Lifting a man who weighed 120 kg was not an easy feat for a little girl weighing 46 kg.

Only the Supreme being known how she was able to pull him up the stairs. No doubt, she fell under his weight several times, causing her to bruise her knee and arm.

Worsening everything, he puked several times. Each time the warm liquid trickle from his mouth on Tori's body, she in turn would have a great urge to puke too.

She took a deep breath of relief when they got to his room. In order not to soil his clean sheets, she made him lie on the tiled floor. While cleaning him, she made sure her eyes didn't wander towards his groin.

When she was done, she changed his clothes to a black tee shirt and shorts.

Pulling him on his bed was another Olympic exercise for her. On succession, she pulled the duvet over his head before hurrying out of his room, not forgetting to take his soiled clothes to the laundry.

She only had her bath after she had cleaned the mess he created downstairs.

When she was done, she got a cup of hot tea before returning to his room.

He was still asleep when she walked in. It was a perfect opportunity for her to absorb his facial features, something she had always loved to do.

Everything seems perfect, all she wanted was his eyes. She just wanted to see the color of his eyes.

Placing her cup of tea on his study table, she gently walked up to his sleeping figure. Crouching beside him, she raised his messy hair, which masked his eyes.

She was blessed with only the view of his full brow and nothing more because the owner grabbed her hand.

"What are you up to?" He smirked, sitting up.

"I just wanted to see the color of your eyes" she shrugged

Jake chuckled, "Why are you so interested in the color of my eyes?"

"Nothing. I just want to see it" she shrugged.

Jake pulled her to himself before planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you"

"It's nothing" she replied with a little smile. She stood up to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.

"What?" She asked, wriggling her hand off his grip.

"Hope you didn't look much?" He pouted.

"At what?" She was confused.

"My…" he didn't complete his sentence, but she got what he wanted to say.

"I didn't you pervert" she scowled at him.